1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a commodity display unit to be placed on display shelves in a shop when used and to enable the commodities involved to be advanced to the front side thereof.
2. Technical Background
Conventionally, in a mass sales store such as a supermarket or drugstore, various kinds of commodities are plentifully displayed on each display shelf in a commodity display case 50 shown in FIG. 27, where the commodities start to sell from the front displayed ones and inevitably it gives rise to an air space in the front section and results in needing what is called the commodity-advancing work of moving the deeply placed commodities forward. Hence, there are presented lots of commodity display shelves or devices each provided with an automatic or semiautomatic commodity-advancing function. For example, there exists a displayed commodity take-out unit 51 having a number of rotating rollers mounted in the form of sloping downward and frontward on the bottom of a commodity display case (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-24091).
However, in the displayed commodity take-out unit 51, both the side panels 52a and 52b each provided with a function of separating the commodities are fixedly disposed thereon opposite to each other; the unit 51 can display such a commodity suited for the width between the side panels; however, a commodity having a larger size than the width needs a different unit suitable for its own size. Accordingly, it is necessary to sort various kinds of commodity take-out units, and it causes such a problem that the inventory management or the like becomes complicated. Also, because the rotating rollers mounted in the form of sloping downward and frontward on the bottom of the commodity display case are laid on the whole surface of the bottom, there is a problem of inevitably increasing the manufacturing cost.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and adjustable commodity display unit easy to use in inventory management, readily changeable in design in compliance with the size of the commodity to be displayed, and allowing the rotating rollers to be thinned out.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a commodity display unit enabling the commodities therein to be smoothly and automatically advanced to the front side of the unit, wherein the partition panel for each commodity is freely adjustable in conformity with the width of the commodity and even a commodity with a higher center of gravity is prevented from falling frontward.
Under such circumstances, the inventor has reached the completion of the present invention by discovering the following as a result of energetic investigations: a frontal advancing device for each commodity is formed by using a forward delivery rail frame provided with such a side panel in the middle position of the frame as to provide a partition along one side of the commodity; there is prepared a positioning and fixing device designed to determine a distance between the partition panels and to connect the frontal advancing devices to each other for positioning and fixing; thus, a commodity display unit united into one body is obtained by providing the frontal advancing device with the positioning and fixing device, or else another commodity display unit as a combination is obtained by employing the frontal advancing device and the positioning and fixing device separately; therefore, a distance between the partition panels can be set without restraint according to the size of the commodity; also, such commodity display units each united into one body may be added to the thus obtained units in sequence in conformity with the number of the kinds of commodities; and then there is no more need to store lots of commodity display units for the various kinds of commodities and positioning and fixing devices different in size for inventory management.
In other words, the present invention provides a commodity display unit which comprises a forward delivery rail frame having lots of rollers mounted on the rail frame in the form of descending frontward, and a side panel section detachably or undetachably formed in the middle portion of the rail frame for guiding the commodities; wherein two or more of the rail frames are used as a combination in the commodity display unit; a commodity fall-down preventing section is installed in the front section of a commodity display shelf; a pitch-fixing plate is provided for positioning the forward delivery rail frame; and, wherein a distance between the side panels suitable for the size of the commodity is set without restraint by selecting a pitch of the pitch fixing plate along with combining the two or more forward delivery rail frames with one another. On the basis of such a constitution, two or more of the forward delivery rail frames are appropriately combined with one another for forming a commodity display space suitable for the size of the commodities to be displayed, and juxtaposed in the form of sloping downward and frontward.
According to this arrangement, the side panel of one forward delivery rail frame provides a partition along one side of the commodity; the side panel of another forward delivery rail frame provides a partition along the other side of the commodity; and hence the two rail frames enable a column of the commodities to be frontally advanced in the form of being displayed. Also, such a display unit is easy in inventory management and readily changeable in design. As for a commodity never needing to contact the rollers in the middle portion between the side panels, e.g., a canned product having a broad bottom, the two forward delivery rail frames can be separately installed, and it is possible to thin out the rotating rollers, thus rendering the resultant commodity display unit inexpensive.
Also, the present invention provides a commodity display unit having a forward delivery rail frame with lots of rollers mounted on the rail frame in the form of descending frontward, and a side panel section detachably or undetachably formed in the middle portion of the rail frame for guiding the commodities; wherein two or more of the forward delivery rail frames are used as a combination in the commodity display unit; a commodity fall-down preventing section is installed in the front section of a commodity display shelf; there is a slide plate for positioning the rail frame; a distance between the side panels suitable for the size of the commodity is set without restraint by selecting an engagement position of the slide plate for positioning along with combining the two or more rail frames with one another. Such a constitution makes it possible to adjust delicately the width between the partitions for the commodities while leaving the commodities as they are.
Also, the present invention provides a commodity display unit having a forward delivery rail frame with lots of rollers mounted on the rail frame in the form of descending frontward, a side panel section detachably or undetachably formed in the middle portion of the rail frame for guiding the commodities, and an engagement projection which is disposed at the front end of the rail frame; two or more of the rail frames are used as a combination in the commodity display unit; a commodity fall-down preventing section has an engagement groove for engaging with the engagement projection and is installed in the front section of a commodity display shelf; a distance between the side panels suitable for the size of the commodity is set without restraint by selecting an engagement position of the commodity fall-down preventing section along with combining the two or more forward delivery rail frames with one another. By using such a constitution, the present invention has the advantages similar to those of the invention without using a pitch fixing plate for positioning.
Also, the present invention is directed to a commodity display unit wherein the forward delivery rail frame is fitted with the pitch-fixing plate for positioning and forming one united body thereof. According to such a constitution, the forward delivery rail frames can be connected to one another and positioned based on a size of the commodity by using the pitch fixing plate for positioning them united with the forward delivery rail frame; the resultant connected frames as they stand can be mounted on the commodity display shelf in such a manner as to direct one side of the rail frame, the one side positioned in a commodity take-out section, to the door side of the commodity display shelf; the commodities, when placed on the frame, automatically move frontward to the one side positioned in the commodity take-out section via the rollers; and then the design over the commodity display shelf can be shifted irrespective of the size of the commodity or its display shelf.
Also, the present invention is directed to a commodity display unit wherein the slide plate for positioning the rail frame is provided in the forward delivery rail frame to form one united body. By employing this constitution, the invention of this feature has the advantages similar to those of the previously described embodiment.
Again, the present invention is directed to a commodity display unit further having a forward delivery rail frame with lots of rollers mounted thereon in the form of sloping down frontwardly and a side panel, for guiding the commodities, formed detachably or undetachably at one side end portion of the rail frame. By employing this constitution, the invention has, besides the advantages similar to those of earlier described embodiments, the ability to eliminate dead spaces in the display space and hence fully utilize the display area when the forward delivery rail frames with the side panels as above are used in such a manner that the side panels are positioned at the side ends of the display shelf.
Likewise, the present invention is directed to a commodity display unit wherein the commodity fall-down preventing section has an engagement groove holding detachably a commodity fall-down preventing panel. According to such a constitution, the invention is provided with the ability to fit the commodity fall-down preventing panel conformable to the size, weight or the like of the commodity into the groove, to prevent the commodities from surely falling down, and to make the commodity display shelf safe and attractive, in addition to the advantages similar to those described earlier.
Also, the present invention is directed to a commodity display unit wherein the state where the rollers slope down and frontward is obtained by mounting nearly horizontally the rollers on the forward delivery rail frames and by sloping down the rail frames toward a commodity take-out section. By using such a constitution, the present invention has, besides the advantages similar to those of other embodiments, the ability to set freely the angle of inclination of the rollers in compliance with the condition of the commodities, and hence, when the thus set rail frames are mounted on the commodity display shelf as they are, the commodities on the rollers can be moved toward the commodity take-out section side, conformably to the conditions involved, by the component of force constantly applied to the commodities.
Also, the present invention is directed to a commodity display unit wherein the rollers are replaced with a slide material. According to a use of such a constitution, the commodity display unit can have a wider variation and increase room for the selection in changing the design thereof, in addition to the advantages similar to those discussed above.
Then, the present invention is directed to a commodity display unit wherein the forward delivery rail frames are positioned together by forming a width adjustment spacer corresponding to a width of at least one commodity in the end portion of the side panel, the end portion being positioned in the commodity take-out section of the rail frame. Such a constitution results in, besides presenting the advantages similar to those mentioned previously, conducting the most suitable positioning for taking out the commodities smoothly and automatically by lightly pressing the width adjustment spacer formed as above for the commodity to thereby determine a distance between the side panels and by only connecting the commodity forward delivery rail frames to one another as they stand by the positioning and fixing device.